Hey mate,
Enjoy this story from my past. I invite you to let it contribute to your future.
The Caretaker.
He wasn’t perfect, he was just a man, but he had a deep sense of peace about him. And it was obvious that he respected nature, and loved the earth. The land where he lived had a quality beyond simple words. It was touched, it was blessed, it was simply beautiful beyond description.
All because, he allowed himself to become, The Caretaker.
He shared with me his secrets over the course of several seasons. He shared with me his spirit, his love, his willingness to be what he called “a caretaker”.
“A caretaker has no agenda, but he does have a purpose, a function, a role, a design.” I would come to understand through his example that a caretaker listens to the land, allowing himself to be touched, experiencing a deeper connection to what is “his” to take care of.
“We don’t own the land, the we dedicate ourselves to the caretaking of it.”
Today, I was touched by a handful of Goosefoot plants. Goosefoot is seen by most folks as a yard weed. Goosefoot to me is a gift, it’s food at it’s finest, it’s an invitation to share what I have experienced, and how I live.
Caretaking.
Carol brought me home some soil from the local Wal Mart. I enjoyed transplanting a few big pots of Goosefoot from where I know it would be mown down, to the safety of 3 plastic pots in my back yard.
It won’t be enough goosefoot to feed a crowd, but it may be enough to inspire a few generations to connect more deeply with the earth, and to become caretakers of themselves and the world around them.
In just a few short weeks, we will be hosting our Edible / Medicinal Plants Class and Feast here near our home.
If you can join us, you will learn some beautiful native teachings about plants, and living and healing with them. During the afternoon, we will identify some really cool plants to eat and heal with, we will develop some advanced identification skills, and we will explore the prosperity of the plant kingdom, that is available to us, if we choose to see with Native Eyes.
Check out the photos from prior years, you’ll see some very happy people there.
If you are local, you are invited to join us. If you are elsewhere, consider the possibilities of the joy that comes, from being a caretaker.
Enjoy the day,
Twenty Twenty